Yes, There is something else I want
by Akenaten
Summary: During IM2. After touring Hammer Industries, Ivan Vanko makes a very personal request of Justin Hammer: he wants a woman.
1. Chapter 1

Yes, There is Something Else I Want…

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Author's Note: I have no idea how tall Sam Rockwell is, but in the movie he seems to be shorter than most of his cast mates. So, for this story, I decided to run with that.

lll

The petite brunette whimpered as the man above her quickly removed his softening member from her aching hole. She knew better than to move or speak before she was told she could—Hammer had drilled it into her that he never wanted to see the faces of the women he fucked after he had climaxed. Or even during sex, for that matter which was why he preferred her to lie face down. As well, his whores were to be silent until spoken to.

For after this morning's disastrous Senate Armed Services Committee and Justin Hammer's abject and complete humiliation from Tony Stark in front of a worldwide audience, the diminutive CEO of Hammer Industries was out for blood.

To his equals, he was a little terrier, nipping at their heels, trying to get their attention. To his subordinates, he was a bully; although a filthy rich one with enough power and money to buy the serious attention he craved. Like all bullies, he preferred to pick on those smaller than himself. Especially women. And especially women in his employ.

"Stop blubbering and consider yourself lucky," he said and she heard the sneer in his voice. "I could have asked you for anal." As quickly as it had come, his jovial mood disappeared. "When I leave, then you can go wash up," he snapped. "Sometimes, I don't know why I even bother with you, you know that? Every other woman on this planet is a size two. Or less. But you? You're a fucking size ten. You make me sick…I mean, you're fat, ugly and stupid and God knows what other deficiencies you've got. Even so, I want your ass back in the Queens office by tomorrow, or are you too dumb to figure that out?"

As soon as the door was slammed shut, Kate Brady gripped the comforter hard in her teeth as the tears and physical pain flooded her body. As she had done countless times before, Kate balled her fist and began punching her thigh over and over again until the urge to hurt herself—brought on by despair and anger—was sated.

When she felt strong enough to get up, she rummaged through the nightstand for the bottle of pills she had left there. Grimacing at the taste, she chewed five of the large Oxycocet tablets until they were fine enough to swallow. She limped to the bathroom and taking a paper covered glass from the vanity top, she poured enough water to wash the pills safely down.

She sat on the icy tiled floor as she turned on the faucets and waited for the imported Italian marble tub to fill with scalding water. A good hard scrubbing would take away some of the pain and the respite from narcotics would dull the shame temporarily but the feeling of worthlessness would remain.

Probably the only reason he hadn't sodomized her or used his belt this time was because bloody bed sheets in the swankiest hotel in the nation's capital would cause some very influential Washington tongues to wag. With the humiliating public debacle this morning was still the talk of the town, even his usual army of spin doctors couldn't cover the gossip that would undoubtedly ensue if word got out about his true, hidden nature…the one that only his underlings saw.

However, as much as she hated Justin Hammer, Kate knew that she could never leave him. For only he could help her. Only he could tell her what her heart ached to know about the missing piece of herself that she gave up all those years ago.


	2. Meeting Dr Vanko

Meeting Dr. Vanko

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with the Iron Man franchise in any way.

A/N: to all my readers, here is another chapter of my story. I hope you enjoy it!

"So, Dr. Vanko," Justin Hammer said, "you've seen our facilities, what do you think?"

"Is very good," the Russian said, chewing on his toothpick. ""I will be working alone, yes?"

"Of course. No one in the world except Tom over there and myself knows where you are. Or that you are even alive for that matter and I intend for it to stay that way. That is why you are never to leave the company grounds for any reason, unless under escort. It's for your own protection, you see."

Vanko nodded slowly. He saw, all right. He saw perfectly. This business arrangement he now had with Hammer Industries was just another prison. Unable to leave until his time was up, he was as trapped within these four walls just as surely as he had been in his dank cell. But here at least, it was going to be a pleasure to exercise his mind again, following in his father's footsteps and most importantly, carrying on his noble work.

It was all means to an end, after all—the destruction of the Stark family legacy, taking along with it, the last remaining member of that family's dynasty. If he had to substitute one set of grey walls for another, it was a small price to pay.

However, just because he was here didn't mean he had to be completely deprived of life's little pleasures.

"Now before you get started, is there anything I get for you?"

"Yes. I would like to have internet access, a copy of "Pravda" delivered every day. Since I am forbidden to go outside, I will also need some, how you say, exercise equipment? And where will I sleep?"

Hammer led the way to another room. It was equipped with a small kitchenette and a cot and dominating the east side of the room was a gigantic flat-screen television. Underneath that was a small entertainment unit that was stocked full of DVDs and CDs.

"There's a bathroom on the left. I know this place isn't much, but I think you'll be comfortable. As for the gym equipment, we'll get that installed tomorrow. Consider it done. Anything else you need?"

"Yes, there is something I want."

"And that would be…?" Hammer queried.

"A woman. It has been a long time for me, you understand."

Hammer winked. "I completely understand. You just want to get back in the saddle, so to speak and I can't say as I blame you. Fifteen years is a long time. Any particular preference or nationality you have in mind? My company has many, er, somewhat clandestine connections that will provide you with your choice from many young women: blondes, brunettes, redheads and some of them are former models…"

"No," Vanko interrupted. "I do not want a woman who is what you Americans would call skinny. You see, Mr. Hammer, Russian men like women who have meat on their bones. "

"Ah, I get it. You want someone who has a little beef in her borscht, right? Not a problem. All right, if there's nothing else, I'll get started on your list and I'll send our best girl as soon as I get to my office."

"She must be clean. You know…clean?"

"The girls we have on call do not have diseases of any sort. So clean in fact, that I will not even insist on protection. If you want to ride bareback, you got it." Justin Hammer shook Vanko's hand and walked away.

The Russian waited patiently until he was sure the pretentious CEO was out of sight before he wiped the hand that shook Hammer's on his clothes. "Cochon," he muttered. He shrugged his broad shoulders and winced slightly as the burns he'd received in France chafed uncomfortably against his sweatshirt. A good cold shower might lessen the sting, he thought as he headed for the bathroom.

lll

As soon as Hammer returned to his office, he buzzed his secretary. "Send Kate Brady in now."

As he tapped his fingers on the desk, the woman he wanted walked in to his office and closed the door behind her.

"You wanted to see me…?"

"Yes, Kate, I do. I have a special task that I want you to perform: in the R&D lab, a Russian scientist named Ivan Antonovich Vanko is waiting for you and what I want you to do is fuck his brains out."

"Wh…what?"

"You heard me. Your sole responsibility for the remainder of today is to do whatever Vanko wants. If he tells you to go on all fours and bark like the dog you are, then you will do it. You will please him in any way and any position he wants." Justin Hammer let his eyes rove openly over Kate's figure. Sure, she wasn't a size two, but he could see why a man would want a woman with a little meat on her bones…and in Kate's case, it seemed to go straight to her breasts. And to Hammer's way of thinking, a woman can never have boobs that are too big.

"But I don't wa-!"

"…want to?" Hammer finished, a sneer twisting his face. "What you want is completely irrelevant. Not doing what I want you to is not an option, unless you've changed your mind after all this time and do not want me to locate your daughter. If you think you can do better, by all means, try to find her on your own. And," he said, leaning back in his leather chair as he laced his fingers behind his head, "considering the trouble and expense I've had to go through in finding out what little I have, I'd love to see you do any better."

"What if he hurts me?" Kate asked, her face blanching at the unexpected flare of defiance that raced through her.

Hammer shrugged. "So what? We have doctors here. Besides, Vanko probably won't hurt you as long as you don't piss him off." The weaselly CEO's smirk grew wider as he savoured the fear he would see on her face when he dropped his big surprise. "The reason you shouldn't get on his bad side is that up until a year ago, Dr. Ivan Antonovich Vanko was in prison."

"Pri…prison?"

"Yes, he did fifteen years in maximum security. Russian prisons are not like the Club Fed's we have in this country. Hard time like the stretch he served will turn any man into a brute. Here," he said, pushing a nearby chair closer to Kate. "Sit down before you fall down." It took almost every bit of restraint he possessed not to chuckle at his subordinate's stricken face and haunted eyes. "For Chrissakes, you look like you're going to throw up," he muttered. Reluctantly removing himself from his chair, Hammer went to the liquor cabinet, poured a generous amount of brandy in a crystal tumbler, and handed it to Kate. "Drink this; it'll take the edge off." When she did not move, he shoved the glass into her hand. "I'm not asking you again."

Kate wrapped her hands around the glass as if holding it so could ease her shaking. Aware that Hammer was watching her every move, she took a sip. The brandy spread much needed warmth through her body and in less time than she would have guessed, the tumbler was empty.

"Want more?" Hammer offered. If his guess was correct, she would need all the fortification she could get. True, it was his best brandy but if getting her tipsy meant doing a bang-up job in banging the Russian, it was worth it.

"When is he expecting me?"

"As soon as you're done with that. And don't sit there and sip it; just chug it. Vanko doesn't have the patience to wait for you all day and neither do I."

"Why? Of all the women that you have at your disposal, why was I chosen?"

What little patience Justin Hammer had left at that moment snapped when he saw the confused look on Kate's face. He clicked his tongue in annoyance. "He wants to fuck a fat woman and your name was the first that came to mind. I don't want some outsider to find out that Vanko is alive. I don't have to worry about you opening your big fat mouth because you damn well know that you stand to lose if you don't. Next, your services won't cost me a penny. I get what I want—a way to show Stark up in front of the whole goddamn world and Vanko gets his rocks off. It's a win-win situation for everybody. Well," he amended himself quickly, "not for you, of course, but I don't care about that. Ooh, that reminds me, it's time."

He leaned over the desk to the telephone and punched in the extension for security.

As soon as Kate saw who it was that was coming for her, she protested, trying not to reveal how desperately afraid she was. "Mr. Hammer, I know the way to R&D. I don't need an escort."

"I don't care what you want. You're going with them and that's final. I wouldn't want you to get lost; you're too important and you have a job to do." He looked over Kate's strained face to the two bulky men that had already taken a position at either shoulder. "Once we're done here, bring her directly to Vanko and then leave. There are a few exits from R&D and I wouldn't want Kate to succumb to temptation, understood?"

She stood between the two brawny security guards that towered over her on either side. Feeling like she was going to her own execution, Kate slowly began the long walk to the lab.

As the sound of the trio's footsteps faded to silence, the door behind Hammer's desk opened. His second-in-command, a quintessential yes-man came forward.

"You know, boss, as soon as Vanko gets through with her, you'll have to tell her what she wants to know."

Hammer scoffed. "What do you mean?"

"You know, give her the information she wants about her daughter."

The CEO laughed cruelly. "I haven't even thought of looking for the kid."

Realization dawned on the subordinate's face. "You've been stringing her along all this time?"

"Of course I have. She's such a stupid cow, I'm amazed how naïve and gullible some women are. I haven't told her squat because it hasn't been in my or Hammer Industries interests to look."

The other man laughed, as he knew he should. "If I may say so, sir, you are some piece of work."

"Of course I am. That's why I'm the youngest privately owned defense contractor the United States military has ever had. I suppose I will have to tell her something someday but until then, she just have to settle for eating the bullshit I feed her. Adoption records are sealed, you know," Hammer said, a fake serious expression on his face. It takes a judge to reverse that."

"But if push comes to shove, you could get that info, right? Not that I'm questioning you or anything, boss," the lackey said hastily. "I was just curious."

"I could have everything she feels the need to know in less than two minutes if I put my mind to it. However, as long as she gives me the best blow jobs in the world, she is useful. The day that I get tired of her is the day she'll conveniently disappear."

lll

The sound of her heels quickly clicking on the spotless concrete floor resonated like gunshots in the vast part of building that was the heart of Hammer Industries' research and development area.

Her two companions, also known as the worst of Security's "Muscle for Hire" goons were broad in shoulder and frame, these men were known for their brawn, not their brains.

However, it wasn't their size that made Kate afraid to be alone with them again, it was the memories.

As punishment for an error on her part years ago that cost Hammer Industries almost three million dollars, she had been given to each of the men as payback. The memory of that horrible night as their sex toy still haunted her dreams occasionally—the filthy words they had grunted at her during her rape and the inhuman and feral looks on their faces as they came simultaneously in her ass and cunt. Since that time, her skin crawled whenever she saw them—and their leering glances.

Kate silently fumed as the two men talked over her head as if she wasn't even present.

"Have you seen him?" Tom said.

"Nope. I haven't laid eyes on him yet. Why?"

"The guy is supposed to be some genius in physics, so automatically you think nerd, right? Lab coat, pocket protector and thick glasses, the whole shebang? Hell no! Get this: he's covered from head to toe with tattoos, built like a fucking freight train-the guy probably did some weightlifting in the can, and he's got this "Don't-fuck-with-me-or-I'll-rip-your-goddamn-head-off-attitude" that he'd make a Hell's Angel member think twice before messing with him. Tell you what though; he wasn't anyone's bitch in prison. I'll stake my mother's life on that."

The thug known as Rob said, a sidelong look at the diminutive woman beside him. "Who knows what he'll do to you, Cupcake? Considering where he's been for the last fifteen years, you won't walk right for a week." He winked as he chucked Kate beneath the chin.

Even through her fear, Kate's temper had boiled up. The brandy gave her courage and she used it in the most hurtful way she could think of. "Any man will be better than either of you. And don't forget I know that from experience." She smiled sweetly, batting her lashes looking at each her guards in turn. "Both of you didn't last six minutes, if I recall." She was too angry and too tipsy to think of any repercussions of her actions, but she was damned if she would just stand there and not say anything!

Like most men, the insinuation that their sexual stamina had been lacking, the truth hit too close to home. Kate gasped with shock and pain when Rob grabbed her arm in one smooth maneuver, twisting her arm behind her back until her arm was fully extended behind her with palm facing up. He bent her forward at the waist until her face was at groin level with Tom.

"Take it back, you little slut," Rob hissed. "Or Tom and I will make damn sure you get fucked in all your pretty little holes once that Commie bastard's done with you. Do you want that? Huh?"

After each question, her arm was twisted a little more until Kate could take no more. The pain made her incapable of speaking.

"We know where you live and what car you drive, slut," Tom hissed. "And we're not too proud to accept sloppy seconds, are we, Rob?"

"Certainly not, Tom. To me, a hole is a hole and I think you've come up with a very good idea. Or, we might decide not to come over. Now, are you sorry for what you said?"

Kate nodded, as she knew she had to if she didn't want her arm broken. The iron grip that held her arm pinned was released and she cautiously straightened up, shaking her arm to restore the circulation. Tom raised his hand and slapped her across the face.

"I can't hear a nod, bitch! Say something…or do I have to smack you again?"

"No, no. I am sorry for what I said." Kate kept her head lowered and let her hair cover her face. She was grateful that neither Tom nor Rob could see her clearly, for they would have taken great pleasure in her tears of pain and humiliation.

The contented squawking of a bird and a soft murmur of a heavily accented voice up ahead made Kate shiver. It wasn't far now. As the trio rounded the corner, Kate instinctively slowed her steps, so she could delay the inevitable for as long as possible.

"Get going," Tom snarled, propelling her forward by giving her a sharp jab in her lower back that made her gasp. "We don't have all goddamn day. Doctor Vanko, she's here as promised."

Kate looked at the Russian scientist for the first time and found that utter terror constricted her throat. The buzz and accompanying warmth she had gotten from the brandy instantly dissipated, leaving her sober and cold. As he slowly circled Kate, she resisted the urge to look at him. She felt the sting of humiliation well up in her eyes but she swallowed hard and forced the tears back by sheer will. She raised her chin and stared straight ahead, ignoring the fact that the more Vanko circled her, the more she felt like a piece of goods for sale than a woman, a slave about to be auctioned off to the highest male bidder at an open-air market.

Let him stare, she thought. I've got nothing to be ashamed of.

To make matters worse, Tom spoke up. "What do you think, Dr. Vanko? When Justin Hammer promises something, it gets done."

"No, he does not! He is a liar and cannot be trusted….This is the last time I will settle for second best," the bulky former physicist snarled, catching Kate, Tom and Rob off-guard. The parrot, ruffled its feathers and squawked indignantly, informing the humans that it possessed a desire for quietness, not raised voices.

"Let us know when you're ready to leave, Kate, and we'll see you get home safely," Rob said, an unpleasant glint in his eye.

Kate's face turned white and it was a struggle to keep her knees from buckling beneath her.

"No, she will stay with me," Vanko interrupted. "I will say when she can go."

With nods that barely concealed their glee for stirring Vanko's rage and what it would invariably mean for Kate, the guards turned abruptly on their heels and walked away, neither of them looking back.

Vanko took her elbow in a grip that was firm but surprisingly gentle. "Come with me," he said, "I want to look at you properly."

"Please, don't do this to me …" Kate was not above begging if it meant that the man holding her would be a little gentler. However, since her nerves were already shot to hell, her worst fear of being violently raped were heightened when the last thing she heard before the door closed was Tom's malevolent cackle as it echoed through the laboratory.


	3. A Stimulating Beginning

A Stimulating Beginning

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Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with any part of the IM franchise and I'm not making any money from this. I'm just writing this for my own perverse enjoyment.

A/N: Sorry to my readers for the short chapter but I wanted to leave you all wanting more…. :) Let me know what you think!

lll

"Come," Vanko said, gesturing to the small table that served as the dining area, "sit." He turned and grabbed a clean dishtowel and ran water through it until it was wet, squeezing out the excess. Reaching into the freezer, he put several ice cubes on the towel and wrapped them up. He came back to Kate and gently applied the cold cloth on her face.

"If you hold it against your face, it shouldn't bruise," Vanko said. His nostrils flared at the subtle yet modest scent of her perfume; it wasn't overpowering, neither was it watery or weak—it was just enough to rouse his senses in anticipation of more intimate contact.

Kate jumped slightly when she felt his touch but relaxed as the icepack removed some of the sting from the hard slap Tom had given her. Vanko's gentleness came as a surprise as she had fully expected his touch to be as hard and rough as his appearance.

"How does that feel?" Vanko asked, letting her take the towel to use for herself.

"It feels good, thank you," Kate responded. "I think it'll be okay now."

Her companion sat down as well, his chin in his hand as he watched the small woman gently dab her face. Now that he had a closer view, he saw that she wasn't as plain as he first thought.

Her delicate heart-shaped face was accentuated and framed by her brown hair, lightened by exposure to the sun and cut into a stylish bob. Vanko was glad she wore little make up. Her lipstick was a light taupe and skillfully applied eye shadow made her brown eyes appear hazel in colour.

She wore a smart, fitted jacket and skirt in a dark moss colour that suited her.

The more he looked at her, the more he concluded that this woman wasn't a whore. A seasoned pro would have been enticing him either by grinding her body against his or by whispering crude sexual enticements in his ear. A seasoned pro wouldn't be primly smoothing her skirt nor would she be caught dead with her hands folded neatly in her lap.

It was as if this petite woman seemed completely out of her depth-as if she had gotten herself into a situation that she didn't know how to handle. Either that or she was so inexperienced, she was waiting for him to make the first move.

He was well aware that she was here strictly for his pleasure, but for the time being, he was content to continue as he was-being in the company of someone who made no demands of him. As well, here in his off-hours, he could drink as much as he liked and receive no criticism. There was no time like the present to do just that.

Reaching behind him, he took two glasses from the drying rack, poured two fingers of vodka in each, and set one down in front of Kate.

"Drink, please. It won't hurt and will help you relax."

"That's true," his companion said, grinning slightly, a dimple appearing in her cheek. She took a swig of vodka only to discover it burned like hell. She was too polite to spit it out but since it was in her mouth, her mind didn't know what to do.

Vanko gave her a grin of his own when he saw her expression. "Vodka is meant to be, how would you say, chugged not sipped. Swallow. Don't think how it tastes, it will burn going down but it is a good burn. Trust me."

Kate swallowed hard and coughed as the alcohol made its way down.

Vanko showed her the example as he downed his vodka neat. "Why did you sleep with those two men at once?"

Kate blinked. "What…?"

"I was watching you from the moment you came in. I saw and heard...enough."

His companion's lower lip trembled and she stared at the tabletop for a long moment. Vanko noticed that when she raised her head to say something in response, her stubborn little chin was raised defiantly. Her eyes stared directly into his and her gaze neither flinched nor wavered.

"No, you didn't. You have no goddamn idea what the real story is or what I've had to go through, all right?"

Kate's response pleased Vanko in ways that he hadn't foreseen…she was no pushover, nor was she afraid of speaking her mind. Pluck was one particular personality trait that he valued in a woman. Her defiant persona was somewhat subdued in comparison to the women he had known in Russia in his younger days—like the unforgiving winter of his homeland, the opposite sex there had to be strong and hardy in order to survive.

"Why don't you tell me what really happened?" Vanko asked. He did not mind in the slightest about her angry tone of voice.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout, but you have to know that I wasn't paid to be with them. I was given to them. As punishment."

"Why?"

"I made a mistake by misplacing a comma in a company contract bid. My error was discovered after the bid had been accepted and Hammer Industries was forced to honour it or lose face. It ended up costing the company millions."

"And Hammer allowed those men to hurt you?"

"He sanctioned it. The only stipulation was that I wasn't to be killed or permanently maimed."

Vanko didn't really want to know the answer to the next question, but he felt the need to ask. "Have you ever slept with him, your boss?"

Her lips drew up in a contortion between a sneer and an expression of unutterable pain. Kate nodded and lowered her head in shame. "He's sold me to other men, mostly other businessmen as if I was nothing but a party favour."

"Is okay if you need to cry," Vanko said softly.

Kate shook her head. "I've cried enough and I've learned since then that tears don't help. Booze does, though."

Vanko took the hint and obliged, pouring in a modest amount. He didn't want her to get shitfaced just yet, but it was obvious that she needed it. Besides, a little more alcohol would loosen her tongue and for reasons that were unknown to him, he had to know more about this most alluring and intriguing woman.

As Kate sipped her drink, Vanko was deep in thought about her. She had an appealing quality that demonstrated that in addition to being strong-minded, she was vulnerable. The combination of defiance and vulnerability was an intoxicating mixture. Liking what he was seeing and hearing from the young woman who sat across from him, Vanko filled his glass again.

Before she was degraded by Justin Hammer and his thugs and forced to be seen and not heard, Kate Brady had, at one time, possessed a backbone. However, even Hammer's best efforts hadn't removed it completely. He found himself liking her more and more because of it.

"And if I hadn't said anything…?"

"Then they would have jumped me as soon as I got to my car or my house and hurt me again. In my car or my place, it would have ended the same. Either would have been suitable for their purposes." A shudder ran through her small frame.

"Why do you allow yourself to be degraded like this?" Vanko asked, frowning. "Tell me the truth."

Kate breathed deeply, mentally debating how much she should reveal about her personal life to this near-complete stranger. But since he had gently asked for the truth instead of harshly demanding it, she would oblige.

"When I was 16, I got pregnant. A girl. I had to give her up for adoption. I didn't want to, but I knew it was for the best. On the day she was born, I only saw her for an instant and she was so beautiful. I never even got to hold her…I don't want to be a part of her life now; I just want to know if she's okay. I need to know if I did right by her. Mr. Hammer somehow found out about it and said that if I do certain things for him—for example, servicing men like I am doing now, he would help me find her, but so far, he hasn't found anything. I am not going to give up." Her voice became determined. "Can you understand that, Ivan?"

"_Da_," he said, never giving any indication that he was aware Kate had called him by his first name. "I understand. Family is everything. Believe me, I know."

Unlike a common streetwalker who would have used coarse words to explain her purpose and function, she refrained from doing so, proving his initial conclusion that Kate Brady had class.

He watched as she put her glass down on the table. Unconsciously, he did the same, his eyes never leaving hers. Kate nodded in a gesture of understanding. It was time.

She straightened up in her chair and began to undo the buttons on her shirt. Slowly, infinitely slowly, Kate undid two more buttons until the wisp of a lacy black camisole peeked coyly between her breasts.

His throat suddenly dry, Vanko could not tear his eyes away. It had been so long since he'd even seen a woman's breasts, let alone caress them. She had a generous C cup, that was certain and Vanko's groin ached with a vision of cupping them in his hands, holding their heavy warmth in his palms while his mouth suckled her nipples until they were hard.

In an almost hypnotic trance, Vanko watched as Kate's hands went to her shoulder to remove her blouse, but the camisole prevented him from seeing the full magnificence of her breasts. Now that her shirt was off, she began to lower the spaghetti strap of her camisole from one shoulder.

He could stand this torture no longer; he abruptly got up from his chair and went to Kate. He took her small hands away from herself, preventing her from finishing her task.

"Let me," he said, his voice coarsened by an ever-growing blaze of desire that threatened to overwhelm his sanity. "I need more room."

Kate led the short distance to his bed, and Vanko saw how gracefully she moved; her hips gently swaying from side to side, her feminine curves an intoxicating enticement to any man over twelve years of age. Because of his height, he towered over her, and was pleasurably rewarded by getting a good look down her brassiere.

Unable to stop himself, he sat down as well and slowly reached out and touched her flesh for the first time.

In his office seven stories above, Justin Hammer breathed heavier and leaned forward in his chair in rapt fascination, unable to take his eyes from his monitor.

"It's about goddamn time you made your move, Russkie. I would have been all over her by now."

Hammer's hand reached down to stroke his hardening cock as he watched the live video and audio feed from Vanko's room.


	4. A Promise is a Promise

A Promise is a Promise

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A/N: this is the chapter I should have posted instead of the last one. Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with the IM franchise and I'm not making any money from this.

lll

Ivan reached out and gently put his hand on Kate's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Underneath his hand, her body trembled like a string of an archer's bow after the launch of an arrow.

He didn't need to have a degree in psychiatry to know that she was petrified.

When she felt brave enough to speak, her voice came out in a strained whimper. "Please…"

Terror of what this man could possibly do to her made her throat close before she could say more. Tattooed, brawny, and fearsome in appearance, Ivan Antonovich Vanko was the quintessential image of a dark alley rapist. And as such, he was everything Kate feared in a man. Especially when she was about to be fucked by him. And especially since there was no one who could or would come to her aid.

"You have nothing to fear; I will not hurt you."

There was something about his tone, no…something in his eyes that told her that he would keep his word. Kate nodded, a tentative, hopeful smile curving her lips slightly.

"You promise?"

"_Da_."

Ivan felt Kate relax slightly beneath his hand. He could tell she was still afraid and if half of what she told him was true, she had had good reason to be distrustful of men.

His actions would have to speak louder than words and Ivan made a silent vow to proceed carefully.

Kate felt goose bumps race down her back when Ivan took her hand, gently stroking one finger from nail to knuckle. Gently, slowly he put her finger in his mouth, leisurely alternating between licking and kissing them, before moving on. No one had ever done that for her before and she was surprised that such a simple act could be so stimulating. When he stopped, she blinked, not aware that during this time her eyes had been closed. But Ivan had been aware.

He brought his lips down to hers with such gentleness that Kate widened her eyes in surprise. Kate unconsciously breathed in deeply, filling her soul with the pure, unadulterated scent of Ivan's complete and utter manliness. Her femininity responded by sending a jolt of lust through her, making her nipples tingle and her toes curl in delight.

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Kate gasped when she felt his hot lips on the sensitive area between her neck and shoulder. Ivan bit into her flesh, tasting her perfume and he growled with pleasure as the scent of her filled his nostrils. Ivan reached down and cupped her breasts in his hands, smiling to himself as her nipples hardened beneath his fingers through the satin fabric of her brassiere.

Without thinking twice, Kate reached behind her and undid the clasp of her bra before removing it completely. Ivan's eyes hungrily took in her ample bust and focused his gaze on her hardened nipples.

"Please…" Kate whimpered as she lay back down. This time, her voice was filled with desire, not fear… She arched her back in a silent signal that Ivan understood immediately.

Ivan lowered his head and suckled one of her nipples, feeling it harden because of the attention that his probing tongue was giving it. He felt Kate's hand touch the back of his neck, drawing his head down and running her fingers through his hair.

The urge to take this further overwhelmed Ivan and with one hand supporting her back, he leaned Kate backward until she was lying flat on the cot.

His strong fingers found the fastening of her skirt and with a gentleness that surprised Kate, slid the garment down her hips and legs before letting it slide to the floor. In removing her skirt, Ivan immediately became completely hard when he became aware of Kate's heady, musky scent.

"_Boje moy_," he growled. His mouth filled with water at the idea of tasting her sweet juices. He hooked his fingers into the waistband of Kate's panties and drew them down her shapely legs.

Kate went stock-still when she felt his hot breath fanning over her pussy. She knew what he was going to do, all right—the men she had been accustomed to sleeping with did not usually offer to perform cunnilingus.

When Ivan used his tongue to part her pussy lips, he had to get a hard grip on Kate's thighs when she bucked her hips violently. As the tip of his nose bumped her clit, he focused on suckling it as gently and as thoroughly as her nipples.

Kate was writhing and mewling and a lifetime of experience with women told Ivan loud and clear that it wouldn't be long before she came. Gently and slowly, he inserted a finger into her hole, feeling the walls of her pussy squeeze it.

Her nails dug deep into his powerful shoulders, as her feet drummed against his back as she came, shrieking and moaning her pleasure into the four corners of the room. He licked her clean, delighting in the taste of her sweet juices that covered his face from nose to chin, avoiding her hypersensitive clit.

Once her body stopped shuddering and was calm again, did Ivan move; he removed the rest of his clothes and settled beside her, his groin against her buttocks.

"Remember what you said?" she asked, her voice a hoarse whisper.

He put his arms around Kate and nuzzled the nape of her neck. "A promise is a promise," he murmured.

Kate turned around until she was facing him. She could not help but notice that his face was glistening with her juices.

"Sorry," she said, blushing so deeply that even her ears were red. "Here, let me do something about that."

Ivan made no move to demur. Instead, he closed his eyes and growled when Kate's small tongue licked his skin. When she was done, he cupped her chin in his hand and kissed her—gently at first but when lust licked at his soul with a growing fire, he became more aroused.

With the slightest nudge, he positioned Kate on her back with his knees between her legs. He groaned to the depth of his soul when his rock-hard cock pushed past her pussy lips. Even through his lust, he was aware that Kate was clutching his shoulders, her heavy breathing fanning his ear. Her body was rigid.

"I will not hurt you," he said. The need to thrust was overwhelming and he tempered the force of his strokes. In his aroused state, he knew would not last long and he was glad that he made the effort to satisfy Kate earlier.

Each thrust brought him closer to ecstasy and he drove his cock into Kate faster and faster, desperate to finally reach his release that he'd waited nearly fifteen years for. Sheer lust guided his movements now; instinctively, he clutched Kate in his arms.

Ivan screamed as his orgasm hit, threatening his very sanity. White pricks of light radiated from beneath his clenched eyelids and it was only when his chest constricted like a vice that he realized he'd forgotten to breathe.

For a moment, he lay on Kate with his full weight, savouring the afterglow as his exhausted body pleaded for respite. When he had recovered enough, he withdrew, resting on his side.

He found himself secretly pleased that Kate made no move to get out of bed; it appeared that she was as content as he to remain where she was.

It wasn't long before Kate was asleep, her body glistening lightly with sweat. As he stared at her body, he realized that if he didn't cover her, she would get cold. Reaching down to the foot of the bed, Ivan retrieved the blanket and covered them both. Kate snuggled against his body spoon-style and sighed from the welcome warmth the blanket provided.

"Hmm," she murmured, "that feels nice. Thank you, Ivan."

Emboldened by her tone, he whispered in her ear. "No problem. I thought that maybe you could return the favour…when I tasted you?" The idea of feeling her wide, sensuous mouth surround his cock as she sucked him dry made his dick twitch for a moment in anticipation, and then relax.

Kate had felt him stir against her butt and the smile in her voice was obvious when she answered, "I'll be sure to take care of you later, okay?"

Ivan nodded. After waiting for freedom for fifteen long years, he'd learned to be patient.


	5. The Morning After

The Morning After

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Author's Note: I hope this chapter doesn't come off as being corny or sentimental but it just didn't turn out the way I wanted. Even if you guys don't like it, let me know what you think about it? Oh, one more thing: not every chapter will have sex and this is one of them. Sorry

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Kate yawned and stretched languorously like a cat as she opened her eyes and smiled to herself. She reached down and touched her pussy, pleasantly discovering that her pubic area was still warm and wet. She suppressed a naughty giggle as she remembered her response to Ivan's lovemaking. Deprived of feminine pleasures for nearly two decades, he had shown extraordinary control from taking her as forcefully as his body wanted. As she pondered the thought, Kate wondered what it would be like to be in Ivan's arms when he allowed himself to throw aside all restraint, and truly let himself and his desires have free rein.

Even though Kate knew the room was empty, she clutched the blanket to her bosom as she bent to retrieve her clothes. It would be best if she took her leave as soon as possible because from past experience, Kate learned that facing her client from the night before was always awkward in the harsh glare of the morning after. She glanced around the room and she was glad that Ivan wasn't there. Her panties were sticky and Kate admonished herself for not remembering to bring a fresh pair. However, she didn't dwell on it because she knew that as soon as she got to her apartment, she was going to take a shower anyway. While slipping on her pumps and rummaging through her handbag for the pack of gum she always carried for occasions like this, Kate smoothed her skirt and got to her feet.

As she opened the door, she let out a little squeak of surprise when she saw Ivan's broad shoulders fill the doorway.

"Hi," Kate murmured, as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger. She knew she was fidgeting but she couldn't help it. Being in his presence again made her blush and look away so she didn't see him grin at her. She noticed that his feet were bare and when she looked up, she saw that he was wearing a pair of sweatpants and as Kate's eyes roamed upward to Ivan's sweat-drenched torso, she judged that he had been working out.

"You were going to leave without…goodbye?" Ivan asked, arching an eyebrow when he saw Kate's cheeks and face turn beet red.

"_Nichego_. Follow me; I will make you some _blini_ for us. Thin pancakes," he explained at her puzzled look. He indicated that she should walk in the room before him as any gentleman would. As she did, he was treated to a full view of her shapely hips and thighs attractively encased in her pencil skirt.

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"Your back!" Kate gasped.

It wasn't because of the massive amount of tattoos she saw on his back or how muscular it was that caused her to cry out—it was something else. Not taking his attention from the stove, Ivan shrugged. "I know, I have many tattoos…" Silently he wondered why that should upset her—then he remembered that almost all the tattoos he had were acquired in prison involving subject matter that any woman would call offensive. The largest drawing graphically depicted an image of the warden's daughter enthusiastically sucking a cock while another man took her from behind. It did not matter that Kate couldn't read Cyrillic because as the old saying went, a picture was worth a thousand words. And there were a lot of them.

"No, it's not that… are you all right?"

Ivan now knew what she was talking about. The burns he'd received when he activated his prototype in Monaco. The same one that knocked Stark on his pompous and arrogant ass in front of thousands. "No, they don't bother me," he said, and then he wondered why he was lying to her. They hurt like hell and because they were on his back, he hadn't been able to sleep very well. Constant chafing of the burns against clothing prevented them from healing properly.

The worried tone in Kate's voice surprised and pleased him, further raising his opinion of her. She cared enough to inquire and be troubled about them. A regular whore wouldn't have bothered.

"It must hurt like hell…and I only added to it. I'm sorry," Kate finished, her voice quiet.

Ivan turned when he heard the apology and turned the stove off. He had heard the distress in her voice and when her eyes met his, regret was written all over her face; it was obviously troubling to her.

"No man would ever be angry at a woman for scratching him after…. I'm not."

"I hurt you!"

"It only proves to me that you liked it. Now, if you don't mind slicing these," Ivan asked, placing a plate of strawberries and peaches in front of her. "Once you are finished with that, could you pour us some orange juice?" he asked.

"Sure," Kate responded happily. The warmth of Kate's smile threatened to thaw his core; that part of himself he wanted to remain cold and distant, keeping at bay the outside world, and its distractions—no matter how lovely and appealing. A part of himself that had to stay frozen to remind him of his vow to his dying father.

He turned away, grateful that tending their breakfast gave him a moment.

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Ivan put a generous amount of fruit on one blini before folding it over. Just before serving Kate, Ivan sprinkled some sugar on it. "It would be better with powdered sugar, but I had to make do," he said, watching as Kate enthusiastically dug into her food. She has a good appetite, he noted with satisfaction-not like the average Western woman who starved themselves and their curves into non-existence, just to fit into a size zero or smaller.

"Will you be coming back?"

Kate raised her shoulders and then dropped them. "Depends on Mr. Hammer. I'd like to, though."

They were still in the process of eating when the pompous CEO of Hammer Industries himself came into Ivan's living area.

"So," he said cheerfully, clapping his hands together. "How are the lovebirds this morning? Ah, breakfast. May I have some?" It wasn't a question and everyone in the room knew it. He went to the sink, took a clean plate and cutlery out of the side drainer before returning to the table, and straddled a chair. Seeing as all the food was on the plates of the two, he brazenly reached over, took two of Kate's blini, and put them on his own plate. "Any syrup?" he asked, looking around the table.

"Give Ms. Brady her food back," Ivan said, his teeth gritted together.

"In case you haven't noticed, she can afford to skip a few meals," Hammer snorted derisively. "More than just a few, actually." His words were sharp and cruel; deliberately designed to humiliate Kate in front of anyone who showed an interest in her and his next were to remind her of her place. "I know it's a bit early in the day, but Kate can't stay-She has other clients to fuck today, you're not the only man who wants to be with her, you know. Can't say as I blame you, Ivan, but she is one damn good piece of tail."

"No, _Gospodin_ Hammer, Ms. Brady will no longer service any more of your clients. She will be for me only."

Hammer raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "I don't think so. You'll have to settle for sloppy seconds, pal. Besides, have you forgotten something? You have a very important job to do here. For me," he stated pointing to himself. "To the outside world, you are a dead man. All it would take from me is one phone call to Paris and you'll have to answer to French authorities about the two men that you killed during your escape. Don't forget your place. Let's go," he ordered Kate as he took her arm in a grip that would leave bruises.


	6. Do Your Damn Job

Do Your Damn Job

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Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with IM2 and I'm not making any money from this.

A/N: I know this is a short chapter, but I hope to update soon.

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Kate jerked her arm from Hammer's grip. When he turned to demand a reason for her unexpected defiance, she jabbed a forefinger hard into his chest.

"Don't you ever touch me again!" she hissed. "And as for me performing for your sicko friends, I'm not going to do that again, either!"

She smiled when Ivan give her a wide grin, his gold-capped teeth flashing in the light. Kate immediately regretted her hasty action-it was rumoured among her co-workers that the boss had connections that could make anyone who pissed him off from the face of the earth.

If half the tittle-tattle around the company water cooler was true, this was something to be taken literally.

Despite however much he wanted to slap her, Hammer couldn't eliminate Kate just yet—she had special talents. Some of his powerful fellow businessmen had sexual tastes that were sometimes difficult to satisfy, even with his extensive contacts. Her natural submissive nature made her perfect for foreign men who desired a woman that obeyed their depraved orders in bed without hesitation or question.

An hour ago, the worst of those men was arriving in New York and emailed Hammer that he wanted Kate. The money Hammer had had to spend in cleaning up after this particular man were a burden no doubt, but the contracts that were the defense supplier made up for it.

As for dealing with Kate, there was no time like the present to let her know how the rest of her day was going to play out.

"I'm done with you and your orders. When I leave, I'm never coming back!"

Knowing that she meant what she said, Hammer was glad that he'd planned accordingly, and decided to hit her at her most vulnerable point.

"Does the name Patricia Anne Crawford mean anything to you?"

Knowing that Kate did not, keeping his face straight when he saw her reaction was going to be one of the most difficult tasks he'd ever assigned himself. "No? All right, let me elaborate: that is the name given to your daughter by her adoptive parents."

He watched as Kate covered her mouth with her hands with joy. Her eyes sparkled like sunlit water and for a moment, Justin Hammer thought she was actually pretty.

In her eagerness to know more, Kate grabbed Hammer by his lapels. "You found her? Where does she live? Is she all right?"

Hammer took Kate's hands away and removed himself from her grip, brushing down his jacket as he did so. "I have that information on my computer, but since you don't work for me anymore, you can hardly expect me to allow access to Hammer Industries systems to someone outside the company, would you? Damn shame, isn't it?" Hammer shook his head in mock sympathy.

"I need to know…you can't do this!"

"I can do whatever I want; I'm the CEO. And if you want to _ever_ know about your daughter, you are going to do three things for me," Hammer counted them out on his fingers. "One, go home and take a shower. I'm not going to send him sloppy seconds. Two, go to the Presidential Suite at the Four Seasons. Three, do your job and keep your mouth shut."

Kate licked her dry lips as she felt the blood drain from her face. She knew how it was now. Only one man used that particular suite.

A sinister, malicious smile twisted Hammer's face. "He's most anxious to renew your acquaintance for the next, oh, several hours. You are the only whore I own that can make his eyes roll back in his head. That being the case, I'm not going to make him wait any more than I have to. Let's go."

He didn't even give Kate a chance to say goodbye to Ivan as he gruffly led her away; the erratic clicking of her heels on the concrete was proof that she was trying to keep up with the furious pace Hammer set.

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As the footsteps of the two faded in the distance, Ivan sat down and pondered what he had heard. His ears had pricked with interest as he listened to the exchange between the woman who gave him pleasure and the man who effectively held his leash.

A file that could be withheld from a desperate mother in pure spite by a diminutive potentate could also be returned to that same mother from a grateful ex-convict.

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As the day progressed and Ivan began programming the computers in the lab, he was surprised repeatedly at the number of times that his thoughts were straying from his task to Kate. Why should I care what happens to her? He wondered. My first priority should be finishing my father's work, not wasting time worrying about the well-being of the company whore. But his conscience argued that it was that same company whore who was worried about his burns and asked if he was okay.

Hammer gave him equipment that went far beyond what Ivan envisioned on the trip from France. Kate Brady on the other hand, had given him physical release—something his right hand could have provided just as easily.

The vision of his father's dying moments in a cold, filthy room finally settled the matter and Ivan forced himself to focus solely on his job.

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As easy as it was to banish her from his mind during the day, at night it was a different story. That night, he tossed and turned, unable to get much rest. Even though he'd only held her in his arms for one night, his body still longed for the feel of a woman next to him.

However, Ivan knew one sure-fire way to find solace—vodka taken in sufficient quantities never yet failed to quieten the twin demons of mental and physical pain.

As he sat at the tiny table where he'd talked, drank and eaten with the only woman he'd seen so far since leaving France, Ivan remembered every smile and word that they shared.

Once the alcohol had firmly established its numbing hold over his exhausted body and mind, the last thing Ivan thought of before he passed out was if Kate was all right.


	7. The Tables are Turned

The Tables are Turned

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with the IM franchise and I am not making any money from this.

To my readers: I apologize for taking so long to update this story and I hope you like this. Let me know what you think! On with the show…

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It had been almost a week since Kate was forcibly dragged away by the lecherous CEO of Hammer Industries. Since then, nothing. He focused on his work, completing the drones that he was commissioned to build. During the day, the room was full of other scientists and technicians but aside from the usual and necessary interactions, Vanko did not let one careless word slip. Instinct told him that every word he said would have been repeated and reported back to Hammer. Vanko did not ask about Kate nor refer to her in any way-he would only speak with Justin Hammer himself about this matter...not his hired lackeys.

In bed and exhausted from after another day's efforts, Vanko rolled over onto his side, his still-unhealed burns throbbing unpleasantly. However, it wasn't only the pain that kept him from sleeping—it was a sense of relentless worry; apprehension that only seemed to heighten with each day away from Kate.

As he had done far too often in the last seven days, Vanko reached over to the bottle of Grey Goose that was always at his side. He shook it, disappointed at the paltry amount of vodka that remained. Scowling that there was less in it than he would have liked, he raised it to his mouth. With three deep swallows, he drained it dry, savoring the fiery burn that slid down his throat.

Tomorrow, Justin Hammer himself would be supervising the progress on his army of drones. Tomorrow would also be the day for answers.

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"I am proceeding ahead of schedule," Vanko announced to the diminutive CEO, "so I want something in return." His hangover was pounding in his temples and his mouth felt like the floor of a New York subway station in August.

Hammer glanced apprehensively at the physicist who towered over him. Lack of sleep and too much booze made Vanko's overall mood dangerous. One wrong word on his part would result in his being pounded into a bloody smudge on the floor. He had a sneaking suspicion what Vanko would ask for: Kate. However, asking for Kate was one thing; seeing her was another. She still hadn't recovered from her client's handling—keeping the severity of her injuries from Vanko was going to be difficult.

He had to take control of the situation. "Can we at least sit down and discuss this like gentlemen?" Hammer said smoothly, indicating the kitchen chairs. Vanko grunted and led the way. The CEO sighed silently in relief.

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Since Hammer knew that men—himself included- do a lot of their thinking with their dicks, it was unlikely that Vanko would say that he didn't want the services of the hired tidbit that was waiting to be ushered into the room.

Long-legged, slim-hipped, and she was sporting implants that would make even Pamela Anderson stand up and take notice. With a body built for sin, Hammer was confident that by next morning Vanko would be saying, "Kate who?"

Even thinking about her made Hammer's groin tighten and he nonchalantly crossed his legs to hide the growing bulge in his trousers.

"I've brought you something that I think you might like," he said, sliding his thick-rimmed glasses higher on his nose. Before Vanko could ask what that was, Hammer was on his feet and strode to the door, yanking it open. With a jerk of his head, he indicated the girl enter.

Vanko straightened, hoping that it was Kate on the other side of the door but when the girl entered, he scowled.

"What is this?"

"What the hell do you think she is? Your reward," Hammer said, his anger getting the best of him.

"I am not like you," Vanko snarled. "I don't need or want a woman now."

"I could arrange for a boy instead..." Hammer's voice dwindled into silence as he realized what had just come out of his mouth.

Vanko rose to his feet and grabbed the girl's arm, forcing her to look up at him. "Do you really want me to fuck you?"

The terrified barely-out-of-high school girl shook her head vigorously. As soon as the Russian physicist released her arm, she was out of the room like a shot, her stiletto heels clicking madly on the concrete until the sound of silence filled the two remaining men's ears. Taking his cue from the hasty exodus of his hired whore, Hammer also left.

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Vanko was not sorry that he was alone again. Now that he was alone with no one but the computer for company, there were ways of finding out what he needed to know.

When the terminal beeped, Vanko snorted. Hammer hadn't bothered to update or change the security programming at all. Hacking in now was as easy as the last time-where the posturing CEO was very close to choking on his astonishment. It was a moment that Vanko had come to savour whenever the little twerp was at his most annoying.

It took only a few moments for Vanko to find Kate's file. As he read the itemized list of her injuries, his brow furrowed in puzzlement when the impact of what he was reading hit him—none of her injuries was sexual in nature.

Nevertheless, that didn't mean what she suffered wasn't serious. Digging deeper into Hammer hard drive, Vanko found a file that captured his interest but he hesitated to open. It was Kate's medical file. The sense that he was not going to like what he found filled him with dread. A single bead of icy sweat trickled down the length of his spine, chilling him. It took another deep swig of alcohol before he stiffened his resolve.

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Reading the text of the medical report, Vanko learned that over the last three years, Kate had had numerous black eyes, a spiral fracture of her left forearm, a broken rib, contusions, concussions.

What hadn't she gone through?

Then he saw the images and Vanko moaned in pity. Long-healed small circular burns dotted her ass and Vanko knew the scars as being burned by a lit cigarette. In addition, there were many long welts across her ass and the back of her thighs. The report listed the injuries were the result of caning.

As hardened as he had become during a fifteen-year stretch in a brutal Soviet prison, it was too much. He was about to close the window when one final image caught his eye. He saw a bright scar line across her right wrist and Vanko understood what it meant. It had not been a cry for help-it was a serious suicide attempt but different. Where most people slit their wrists, they tended to do it horizontally. When Kate tried to kill herself, she cut herself vertically, which meant that there was a greater loss of blood. However, after reading her file, Vanko couldn't judge her. Everyone has their limits and Kate finally reached the point where the desire to die overcame the urge to live.

Spotting her phone number, he dialed it. The phone rang until it went to voicemail. And, like Kate herself, the message was lighthearted and honest:

"_Hi, you've reached the Brady residence. Unfortunately, Kate, Pinky, Hurley, and the __'__goos aren't available to take your call right now. You know what to do…Wait for the beep, bye.__"_

"Kate?" Vanko asked. He tried to think of something, anything, else to say but for the first time that he could remember, he was tongue-tied. The dead air on the other end of the line seemed to mock him; but hanging up was not an option—she needed to know that someone cared and willing to listen.

Based on what he read in the file, Kate was in a lot of pain if the dose of the opioids was correct. What she needed was someone who cared. Someone who would make no demands on her mind and body-she needed a friend and if she wanted to cry on his shoulder, she could have that and a pair of strong arms to make her feel safe and insulated from the world.

"I know you are there, Kate...I will call back. I must talk to you." Not knowing what else to do, Vanko hung up.

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"Well," Vanko shrugged, "As you say in this country, so far so good, yes?"

Hammer smiled his most shit-eating grin and nodded. He was pleased.

"I want to show you something I've been working on. Come," Vanko said, gesturing.

"Everything looks fine," Hammer said, rapidly running out of patience. "What's so important?" He watched as Vanko went up the ladder to where a platform had been installed so that he could work on several drones at once.

Vanko leaned over and grasped the headpiece of the machine that was closest to him. With a grunt and twist, the head came off and Vanko threw it on the floor. Without a second's hesitation, he worked his way through two more.

Hammer's face turned ashen as he rang up the damage in his head. One hundred million, two hundred million, three hundred million dollars now lay on the concrete floor.

"Seven days I do not hear from Ms. Brady, you put me off," Vanko snarled. He put his hands around a fourth drone but Hammer could not remain silent any longer. The crazy commie just pissed away the profits of Hammer Industries for the last quarter. "Okay, okay. I can be reasonable."

"That time has passed," said the Russian.

"No! Wait….what do you want?"

"I want truth."

"She was hurt because of her last client," Hammer said, carefully edging his way around the truth. "But she is recuperating."

"I know this," Vanko snarled. "Tell me what you've found out about her daughter. You lead Kate on with endless promises that you will find her daughter but you never intended to do that, _da_?"

"That's not true, I found out her name…Patricia Anne Crawford!" Hammer protested, his voice dwindling to an involuntary squeak as Vanko grabbed Hammer by the lapels of his Armani jacket. By the next beat of his fiercely thudding heart, Vanko had lifted him until he was off the floor, his feet dangling helplessly in the air like a child sitting in an adult's chair for the first time.

"Tell me the truth!"

"Okay, okay. I was stringing her along, I admit that…"

"And?" Vanko shook Hammer with enough force to make the CEO's fillings rattle. He smirked when the smaller man's face turned ashen from the force. "Why do you humiliate her? Why do you sell her to dogs?"

"Because she's the most submissive woman I own. And some men, especially those from the Middle East, like that."

Vanko narrowed his eyes as he pondered Hammer's words. Kate Brady hadn't been submissive during their time together. She hadn't been afraid for the simple reason that she trusted Vanko. During the several glorious hours that they had spent together, she saw that beneath the rough exterior, beneath the tattoos and the scars that covered his battered body, was a man who would keep his word and treat her with respect.

That trust was something that Vanko would not forget. However, this executive would learn something about being submissive; about being completely in the power of someone who would show no mercy.

Just like the animal who dared to bruise Kate's tender body for his own perverted pleasure.

"I show you what submissive means," Vanko snarled through clenched teeth. He grabbed Hammer's scrawny neck in a powerful grip and directed him over to a workbench. He bent Hammer over so that his hips were in contact with the hard metal edge and his butt was in the air.

He would teach this man what it really meant to be someone's bitch. What he was going to do would make Hammer ashamed to show his face to his underlings or equals.

Reaching around Hammer's skinny waist, Vanko removed his belt before unbuttoning the hand-tailored pants and pulling them down, where they pooled in an expensive heap at his ankles. They were followed by white silk boxer shorts emblazoned with bright red hearts.

"No, don't do that...please!"

Vanko sneered when he understood Hammer's meaning. "I saw that movie too. You think I make you squeal like pig, _mudak_?" he said, disgust twisting his features.

Hammer heard the whistle of the belt a split-second before a thousand points of fire exploded across his backside. He bit his tongue until it bled, determined not to give the Commie bastard the satisfaction that this was causing him pain. However, the second, third and fourth blows evaporated any thought of remaining stoic. His cries of agony reverberated throughout the cavernous research facility, taunting his own ears with the sounds of his weakness.

"You do not own Kate or any woman any longer," Vanko said, laying down a series of particularly hard blows on the back of Hammer's thighs. "As soon as I finish, we go to your office."

"Why?"

"I will watch as you find the information about her daughter. You never keep your word; I do not trust you to do this like honest man. Get up, _huesos_!"

Vanko cocked his head and admired his handiwork. Now, instead of the sickly white colour it started out as, the executive's ass was now a mass of red welts. "_Nye plohah_," he said and chuckled.

Hammer obeyed the order without a word and purposefully avoided Vanko's gaze as he got off the table and pulled his boxers up. He hissed sharply when his flesh touched the cold fabric.

"What I do is only small part of what you deserve and you know it. This is only first time for you. How many times has she gone through this but never complain? She is stronger than you. Now we go to your office."

Vanko grabbed Hammer's arm and dragged the reluctant smaller man to the door.


	8. Payback's a Bitch

Payback's a Bitch

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with the Iron Man movie franchise and I am definitely not making any money from this.

Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is so short but the next one will be longer…and will have sex!

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Vanko arrogantly strode to Hammer's chair and sat down, testing the flexibility of the executive's chair by leaning it all the way back and lacing his fingers behind his head. Vanko plunked his filthy bare feet on Hammer's desk and smirked when he saw its owner's grimace. "All I need is cigar and brandy and I look like decadent Western businessman."

"Get out of my chair!" Hammer said, his rage and humiliation tightening his throat until his demand sounded more like a squeak than an actual objection.

"_Pochemoo_?" Vanko said, "You can't sit."

Hammer swallowed his gall with an audible gulp at the truth in the Russian's words. He wouldn't be able to sit properly for a week.

"What are you waiting for, _durak_? Where is my drink and cigar? Don't give me the swill you give everyone else, I want the best."

Hammer went to the other side of the room where the bar was located and opened the cabinet. He moaned quietly at the thought of giving his best bottle of brandy on the commie bastard who now commandeered his office…Only 738 bottles were ever created and he was wasn't even going to taste it. Goddamn it!

In spite of himself, Vanko was impressed. The cigars were Cuban but he wouldn't smoke them now. The brandy, however, was too exquisite not to sample. Remy Martin Louis XIII, Rare Cask and unless Vanko was mistaken, the cost of the bottle was in the mid-twenty thousand dollar range—probably more than what the little weasel in the room with him paid the majority of his employees.

Brandy such as this was made to be slowly sipped and savoured, but Vanko could not resist the urge to make Hammer squirm. He opened the bottle and raised it to his lips, drinking deeply. When he had had enough, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and sat up again.

With all the ease and confidence of a capable and experienced hacker, Vanko logged into the personal computer of Hammer Industries' CEO. A thought flitted through his mind of asking Hammer to show him the location of the information about Kate's daughter but dismissed the idea just as quickly. He would find it and besides, snooping through Hammer's hard drive would be fun and might even be useful. He was done for the day in the lab and he was in no hurry to return to the cage that was now home.

Vanko raised an incredulous eyebrow at the amount of porn and online dating sites this capitalist pig had frequented on a daily basis and wondered how Hammer ever got anything done. "Rich hotties like me dot com?" Vanko sneered as he read the site's tagline: "Wealthy People Need Love Too."

Hammer shuffled his feet and looked uncomfortable. "There are a lot of gold diggers out there and a man like me with a lot to lose has to be careful."

"I know," Vanko murmured and took a different meaning to the words than Hammer himself intended. He did have a lot to lose; there were more than a few files in this computer that would make interesting reading to either the CIA or Homeland Security. However, since it was the CIA's nosing around in his business that lead to his incarceration in the first place, Vanko felt no desire to pass the info he found on to them. Let them do their own damn dirty work. Still, making a copy of the sensitive information that he was coming across now would be good insurance and more importantly, it would mean protection for Kate. What would ensure her protection would be the video of Justin Hammer bent over a workbench, his ass bared for all to see being spanked in his own lab. With the dubbing of one or two carefully chosen audio files, Vanko could create a video of Hammer asking for it. He could not stop himself from cackling at the thought.

"Give me flash drive," he growled. When Hammer said nothing, Vanko turned his attention from the keyboard and began opening drawers at random in the walnut-inlay desk, throwing their contents on the floor. As he expected, the man who looked like he measured the part in his hair with calipers would not allow messiness.

Without a word, Hammer went to the drawer where his last 32-gigabyte USB was. There was no way he could physically stop Vanko from stealing information; he was no match for the hulking brute. Even though it was a late hour, here were some members of staff still in the building. Hammer did consider calling for help, but knew that if he did, there might be some awkward questions about why a supposedly dead man was sitting in his chair. For the first time in his life, Justin Hammer experienced true helplessness.

"Now you know what it's like for Kate," Vanko said, correctly guessing what his companion was feeling.

"Go to hell," Hammer snarled, throwing the USB at his antagonist.

"As you say in this country, I've already been there," Vanko responded lightly as he inserted the device.

lll

It wasn't long before Vanko located the information that had brought him to this office—the file on Patricia Anne Crawford. Being the animal lover that she was, Kate would be thrilled to find that a veterinarian and her husband had adopted her daughter. Reading further, Vanko discovered that they specialized in treating abandoned and abused circus and rodeo horses. After the traumatized animals recovered and were rehabilitated to trust humans again, they were sent to equine therapy centres all over North America for the treatment of children with special needs. Vanko did not read any more; this was for someone else's eyes and heart only. He smiled to himself as he pictured Kate finally finding out that her daughter was thriving. And if the photos were any indication, there was a definite promise of beauty in the girl's future.

"Just like her mother," Vanko murmured with satisfaction. His work now complete, Vanko was about to log off when an icon on Hammer's desktop caught his eye. Clicking on it, the Russian ex-convict was stunned to see that it was a CCTV feed of his living quarters, the camera focused directly over his bed. It wasn't until he heard the contented squawking of his bird emanating from the computer speakers that he discovered that there was an audio feed as well.

Vanko felt his pulse pound in his temples as he realized the implications. It hadn't been enough that the little man held his leash…this _dupa_ put cameras in my room so he could see and hear everything that went on between Kate and me. Vanko was certain that the time that they had made love was in a separate file-probably to be enjoyed by Hammer and whomever else he wanted to show it to. Kate's actions recorded for the sole purpose of amusing and arousing the men who watched.

It wasn't for himself that he was angry. Fifteen years of hard time had stripped any modesty from him; communal showers and overcrowded cells meant that the most private of a man's actions were on display for everyone to see, hear, and smell. Privacy even to go for a piss or a shit was non-existent. He was used to being watched. But Kate…? No, a woman as gentle and loving as she did not deserve to have her privacy violated—her most intimate services recorded and broadcast to the titillation of male employees of Hammer Industries.

Every fibre of his being ached to put his hands around the former defense contractor's scrawny neck but he resisted the urge. Harming Hammer would only exacerbate his problems. Worse, Kate's safety and well-being would be in jeopardy. No, Vanko thought, there was a far better way to punish Hammer and it would be something he wouldn't soon forget. As the West would say, "Payback's a bitch" and Justin Hammer was going to pay big time.

Accessing the directory he was looking for was child's play; however, Hammer would not find the end result amusing in the slightest. Kate and every other every person that Hammer had ever screwed over deserved justice. But because of the physical and emotional scars she possessed because of harsh handling by Hammer's hired help, the petite brunette earned this reward more than anyone did. Vanko turned to see the reaction of the scrawny CEO standing like a sentinel over his shoulder, his mouth agape like a child expressing silent surprise.

"No!"

"_Da_," Vanko snarled. "You put cameras in lab—I understand this; is very expensive equipment. But that did not give you the right to watch where I rest."

"Why the hell did you just transfer all that money to her?"

"I only give her some of the money you were going to pay me." Vanko's eyes glittered dangerously as he saw the guilty look on Hammer's face and comprehended the implications. He understood everything now. Hammer was going to kill him when his work was complete; probably using the two jokers who were his muscle for hire. The same two who had violated Kate over the misplacement of a comma in a contract bid. Vanko unclenched his hands and continued with his task but he made a vow that he would seek retribution on her behalf, but the time for that was not now.

His fingers flew over the keyboard as he typed a short email and added her daughter's file as an attachment. Realizing that she might delete the email since it came from the personal computer of her employer, Vanko added a subject line that would prove he was the sender, not Justin Hammer. He hit the send key and the file was on its way.

If it were possible, he would have gladly given the next few years of his life just to see the expression on Kate's face when she finally possessed the information for which she sold herself to Hammer and his cronies to use and abuse. That part of her life was over forever.

Vanko scratched his face and felt the coarse ten-day old stubble rough against his fingers. He hadn't bathed since the last time he had seen Kate. Being as filthy as he now was did not bother him in the least; in fact, it had kept Hammer's laboratory lackeys from getting too close to him. The same could be said for their employer—except for the time he was hovering over Vanko's shoulder at Kate Brady's newly acquired six-figure bank balance-Justin Hammer kept his distance. However, Vanko realized that his present unwashed state would have to be remedied; he allowed himself to hope that Kate might want to visit him this evening. Realistically, however, her dropping by was a slim chance at best because from what he had read in the medical report, she was still recovering. If not tonight then another time, Vanko thought. He could afford to wait…he wasn't going anywhere for a while.


End file.
